mama cloth talk

September 11, 2009

Last week, I realized we were starting to run low on the Disney Princess (blech) (no, wait. not blech to The Princesses themselves. Licensed character stuff, however, offends my children's clothing aesthetic) bag o' Pull-Ups (gag).

Aliza the Joy is pretty much 100% day-trained now, but for obvious reasons I don't know how much to trust her out of the house in the Big Girl Panties. So we've been doing the Pull-Ups for errand running and church nursery and at night. AJ likes The Princesses, but she does not like the Pull-Ups as they seem to be quite itchy. And scratchy. Although I have a fully-stocked stash of cloth diapers, I don't have anything in the way of trainers as Dacey learned the potty at nearly three over the course of one weekend.

So I've been thinking about getting some cloth trainers for her. I've been shopping around and comparing prices and styles and colors and materials and I got a little overwhelmed and moved it down a notch or two on the ol' To Do.

Amy's challenge, you see, came along at just the right time to move me from the thinkin' about it stage to the let's do this stage. (The nearly empty bag of Princess pee-catchers has provided a little extra motivation as well.) And remember a few weeks ago when I was questioning what direction to take with SortaCrunchy and how I had kind of lost some blogging steam? In the comments, Robin suggested that I "Take on a new adventure: something you'd love to try, but haven't yet, and chronicle it for us." Again, perfect timing.

So here I am, embarking on the challenge to make our home more waste-free. But this challenge won't be just about cloth trainers. There are several areas where we could cut out our disposable addictions.

Amy started with this list, and here is what we have and haven't done to reduce the waste generated at Casa SortaCrunchy:

Paper napkins to cloth napkinsDone!

Paper towels to cloth towelsWant to do

Tissues to handkerchiefsSorta done

Paper, plastic or Styrofoam plates to your kitchen platesDone!

Disposable utensils to regular silverwareDone!

If you order food “to go” or have food to take home from a
restaurant, bring your own container rather than accepting Styrofoam or
plasticUm, not ready for this yet.

Inexpensive plastic “Take & Toss” sippy cups to Thermos or Camelbak bottles or the Klean KanteenWe don't by Take & Toss, so done!

And there is one last item on Amy's list that even she, the Goddess of Crunchy, suggest might be a little crazy and is only for the truly dedicated:

Toilet paper to cloth wipes/washcloths (for #1 or #2 too if you are really, really adventurous)

As I looked over the list, I thought about what would be both a great challenge for myself but would still be reasonable and do-able. Here are my goals for the Ditch the Disposables Challenge 2009:

1) Banish the paper Pull-Ups and replace with cloth trainers2) Ditch the paper towels and replace with cloth 3) Find a better, less disposable monthly solution for myself (again, more later)4) Put a system in place so that I absolutely will use my reusable grocery bags (I have tons) and put an end to the voluminous plastic grocery bag collection5) Do you really want to know what goal #5 is? I mean, really, really want to know? Come back tomorrow. When you aren't eating.

What do you think of Amy's suggestions? Have you tried any of these in your home? What was a hit and what was a miss?

August 06, 2007

Seth Godin recently wrote that "the mistake most blogs and books make: they are about the writer, not the reader."

Last month, I shared with you that I try to keep my audience in mind as I write and post here at SortaCrunchy.

But today I am going to be selfish and post some totally me-centered stuff just because I big fat want to. So feel free to skim on by if you feel so led, but I do want to say I am posting this publicly because I welcome advice and feedback and suggestions!

We are now staring down the barrel of less than one month until Little Sister's delivery. (Scheduled c-section date is September 5th.) As I panicked mulled this over yesterday, I found it very theraputic to make some lists. Helps me feel a little more, oh I don't know, centered? In control? It at leasts organizes my thoughts and helps me break free of this pervasive sense of denial which hounds me . . . denial that in less than one short calendar month, the SortaCrunchy family will be a Party of Four.

Humor me.

TO DO:

* wash and sort all of Little Sister's diapers* figure out some kind of organizing solution for the cloth diapers that are slowly taking over the nursery (D's and LS's combined)* find all the parts to my trusty hand pump and figure out what parts need to be replaced* make appointment with our pediatrician to go over delayed vax schedule* go over birth plan choices with my OB and clarify what hospital procedures will allow for (Can I have one arm unstrapped to hold her for a minute after she is delivered? Can she be with me in recovery? these kinds of things . . .)* write thank you notes from LS's shower* wash newborn clothes* get a haircut* pack hospital bag

TO BUY:

* more infant prefolds and small covers* button-front pj's for Mama for the hospital and home* at least one more decent nursing bra* Lansinoh* breast pads - cloth or disposable? Would love to hear feedback on what worked for you!* more post-partum pads* snacks for the hospital bag* Mei Tai? Which one? I am to the point of having anxiety dreams over this one. Of course, I want an uber-cool, uber-chic BabyHawk, but the Budget Mistress within is balking at the price tag. But a Mei Tai will definitely take us through toddlerhood, isn't it worth the investment? But couldn't I find a fully functional Mei Tai for less somewhere? And so goes the circles of debate in my mind. DEFINITELY open to feedback on this one, mamas!

And so that's that. For now. Thanks for bearing with my all about Megan indulgence.